


Accidentally In Love

by LarryOtp



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Future Fic, M/M, Parent Harry, Single Parent Harry, Single Parents, Smut, Zoo, basically harrys a single parent, family fic, idk what else to put, louis's a zookeeper, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2014-06-06
Packaged: 2018-01-10 07:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1156601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LarryOtp/pseuds/LarryOtp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry's a single parent, has been since he walked in on his partner Nick sleeping with a woman. Yes, you heard right. Absolutely, totally, completely, utterly gay Nick Grimshaw slept with women. To say that three years later Harry's broken and stressed is understandable. His best friend Niall Horan notices, and decides to help out a little. Between himself and Harry's sister they pay for a two weeks trip to Yorkshire. </p>
<p>It doesn't seem to go too well for them. Well. Until Harry's daughter April finds out there's a Wildlife Park, of course. Where a certain Louis Tomlinson happens to be working. Harry's never been a big believer of 'Fate', but he believes in Accidentally falling in love.</p>
<p>(I suck at summary's Im sorry, I promise the story itself will be better haha)<br/>(just give it a try, im begging you)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heeey guys so this is my new fanfic. It's also being posted on wattpad (find me @radiolarry) so you know. Its mine. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

  
Louis ran as fast as his short legs could take him. All the muscles in his body were aching for him to stop, to rest. But he had to ignore the warnings from his body. What other choice does he have? Oh that's right, none (unless he wanted to get the sack and that's the last thing Louis wanted right now).

He was internally cursing his lack of exercise recently, which was obviously needed. You'd think he'd be used to running this fast, being a zookeeper and all. He wasn't though, which in a way was a good thing. It wasn't exactly ideal to have a tiger run loose around the park. But, whatever. It was a day in the life of Louis Tomlinson, head zookeeper at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. A 'slightly' crazy job, yet Louis wouldn't change it for the world. 

"Stan!" He called, grabbing a net as he passed the monkey's enclosure. 

Stan -Louis's best friend and fellow zookeeper- caught his eye. His face was bright red, little puffs slipping out of his parted lips. "Yeah?" 

 "You carry on that way, I'll take the back path behind the enclosure, see if we can corner her."

Stan salutes his boss, a thing he's been doing since he started working for him. "Sure thing boss," He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, and sticks it out in concentration. His eyes were fixed on the target, Alkilah, a beautiful mid-aged Bengal tiger. She was sat on a rock not far from her enclosure. From time to time her tongue would stick out, and she'd lick a strip across her paw. This had been going on for the past ten minutes now.

The plan was now in action. Louis kept down low as he slowly made his way down the path. He could see Stan distantly on the other side of the enclosure, his tranquilizer gun safely under his armpit. His eyes moved back to the magnificent beast, taking in her beauty as she bathed under the sun. 

Honestly, Louis was glad it was Alkilah who got out, and not Sarim, her mate. He was stronger, greedier, more dangerous, and would have caused way more harm than Alkilah could in her lifetime. Also, Louis was closer to Alkilah than he was to Sarim. He had a special bonding with the tigers, one none of the other keepers could explain. Actually, he had a special bonding with  _all_ the animals he worked with. Which is probably why he's so successful. 

On the other side of the enclosure, Stan was loading the tranquilizer gun. He was now so close to Alkilah, he could see her long lashes softly fluttering in the breeze. He took a deep breath, closed one eye, and targeted the beast. With one blink of an eye, he pulled on the trigger.

A small click sound was heard by Louis. He turned his head to look at the tiger, to see she was down. It always upset him seeing the animals like this, but as much as he liked Alkilah, he knew she was a dangerous animal, and that this was the only way to get her back to her enclosure. He turned on his heel, flashing Stan a grin and giving him thumbs up for his good work. Stan glowed with pride, happy to have completed his task. He followed Louis over to the tiger. 

"Good job Stan," The blue eyed boy said, patting Stan's shoulder. 

Stan was still glowing, and nodded. "Thanks, sir." 

Louis glared at the boy. "You know I hate being called sir, makes me feel old.  _Stanley_."

Stan cringed at his full name and stuck his tongue out at his boss. "Let's get Alkilah back to her enclosure, shall we? I bet Sarim misses her."

Louis nodded and looked at the drugged animal. He took the net out behind his back, and began stroking the tiger's soft fur. "Let's do it." 

//

April sat with her knees hugged to her chest, head resting on the top. Her big brown eyes were glistening, as tears fell freely down her flushed cheeks. She had been sitting like this (in the dark, on the end of her single bed) for the past ten minutes now. From time to time, she would mutter small words along the lines of; "not fair," "I tought he l-loved me," "April sad". 

Meanwhile, Harry was stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening to his little girl cry. His best friend, Niall Horan, was rolling his eyes at him, as usual. "Harry, you've got to talk to her. It's been ten minutes!" If there was such thing as the world's most inpatient person, it would go to Niall, Harry thought.

"Ni, she has to learn that she can't always get what she wants. I don't want her growing up to be a spoiled brat, that's not how I'm raising her," Harry said calmly. 

Niall groaned. "Haz, it was just a stupid barbie doll! It wouldn't have caused any harm?" 

"Yes, but she has a box full of them. One barbie doll won't make a difference." 

Niall raised his eyebrows, and pointed at the ceiling. "Your daughter is crying a fucking river up there. Do you think it makes a different to her?"

"I guess you're right. But I'm still not buying her the barbie doll."

Niall frowned. "You know what you need, Haz?"

"What, Ni?" Harry asked, his voice slightly teasing. 

"A break," The blonde boy raised his hand and rested it on his best friend's cheek. His eyes scanned Harry's face, which was tired, pale, and creased. "You're stressing out."

Harry pushed his friend's hand away and scowled. "I'm fine," he muttered, more to himself than the boy stood beside him. 

"You are anything but fine."

"We're managing!" 

"Oh, so that explains the shadows under your eyes, the paleness of your skin, the lines on your forehead, the crying girl upstairs?" 

Harry hated to admit it, but Niall had a point. He sat down on the couch, and ran his big hands over his face. "But what can I do Ni? I can't get off work."

Niall sat on the arm of the couch. "Can't you?"

The Cheshire lad ran a hand through his curls. "No, there would be no one to cover for me."

Suddenly, Niall had a thought. His brows shot up suggestively, and he had a big smile on his face. Harry had known his best friend for long enough, to know what he was thinking. His eyes widened. "No, no, no, no and no."

Niall groaned. "Oh c'mon Haz! Let me, even just for a week."

"I don't know if Ed will let me," Harry muttered. 

"Harry, you're Ed's favourite chef. I'm sure he'll let you take a week off. You need it! Plus, I'd love to be a chef."

"Can you even cook?"

Niall gasped. "How dare you! I cook very well, thank you."

Harry bit his lip; the offer sounded so tempting. He noticed he had been overworking lately, what with him having to take extra shifts since Nick left.  _Nick_. Even just the name tugged at his heart. Wanting to throw his thoughts into the trash, he asked; "What about April?"

"Take her with you. She's only..." Niall started counting off his fingers.

"Three," Harry mumbled, earning an embarrassed smile from the Irish lad. 

"Yea, whatever, are you gonna take up on this offer or not?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Niall flashed him a grin and shook his head. "Nope!"

Harry sighed. "Then I guess."

The blonde boy fist pumped the air and patted his best friend on the back. "Tha's a boy!" He laughed.

"Only a week though," Harry warned. 

"Yea, yea. Go tell your daughter the good news, bring that smile back to her cute face, go!"

Harry smiled, and ran upstairs. Internally, he was so, so happy. He was going to catch a break. He was going to go on holiday with his favourite person in the whole wide world. A real  _holiday_. Not a business trip, not to go to a catering contest, but for an  _actual, family, holiday_. Harry didn't know how he could thank the blonde boy enough. 

He walked upstairs, making his steps as quiet as he could. He could hear soft sobs coming from his daughter's closed door, enough to cause his heart to break. He made it to the top of the stairs, and wrapped his hand around the door knob. 

When April heard her door opening, her sobs stopped. Her head snapped towards the door, just in time to see her dad walk through. April turned to face the wall again, in attempt to ignore him. She felt a weight on her bed, and then a hand caress her back. April felt tears brimming in her eyes again. They fell slowly down her cheeks. 

"D-Daddy no love April. Daddy n-no give A-April toy," She cried, as she buried her head in-between her knees.

Harry's heart sank at the sound of his broken child. He gathered her up in his arms, and let her cry into his chest as he rubbed her back. "Ssh princess," He coo'd. "Daddy didn't give you a toy because it's not good for you to have too many, is it?"

She shook her head and looked up at him with pretty, big eyes. "But it was my favourite, daddy. My favourite toy!" 

Harry smiled sadly at the little girl. "I know baby, but maybe you'll get it for Christmas? Your birthday?"

April's eyes lit up at that, and her face stretches into a smile. "Really? You think Santa give April toy?" 

Harry laughed softly. "Yes princess, I think he will," He tickled April's sides, causing her to squeal and giggle. "But only if you're a good girl!"

"Stop Daddy, stop!" She giggled, swatting her hands in attempt to stop her dad from ticking her any further.

He chuckled and stopped, to April's relief. He sat her on his lap, and hugged her tightly. "I love you so much April," He whispered into her (apple scented) hair. "Don't you ever forget it." 

April cheered. "April loves Daddy too! Daddy loves April, April loves Daddy!" 

Harry laughed at his adorable girl, once again thanking the lord above for giving him such a wonderful, amazing child. 

"Guess everything worked out then?" Harry and April heard an Irish accent say from the door. 

"Uncle Niall!" April squealed, jumping out of Harry's arms and down onto the ground. She ran (or more like tripped three times) over to Niall, where he was waiting with open arms.

"Hey, if it's not my favourite three year old in the world!" Niall said, tickling her tummy and causing her to giggle. 

"Is me! Me!" She said happily.

Harry watched in amusement, shaking his head lightly with a fond smile on his lips. His child was so bi-polar. One moment hating everything and everyone around her, the next smiling and having fun. He was still debating whether that was a good or bad thing.

"Harry, tell April where you're going to take her?" 

The boy in question looked up, to see Niall now balancing his daughter on his hip. Harry bit his lip to hold back a smile. "We," He started, standing up and facing April. "Are going on holiday."

April's eyes lit up, the sparkle in her eye visible. She let out a loud squeal, and beckoned her father over with a thrust of her small arms. Harry did as he was told, and was greeted by small kisses being placed all over his face. The curly boy laughed, and took April from his best friend.

"Me, Daddy, Uncle Niall, holiday?" April asked, hopeful. 

Harry frowned, creases once again appearing across his forehead. "Darling, Uncle Niall needs to stay here. He has to take my place in the bakery."

April's bottom lip trembled, and tears filled up to her waterline. "B-But A-April m-miss Uncle N-Niall."

"I know baby, I know," Harry cooed, cradling the young girl in his arms. "But we can phone Uncle Niall and video call him whenever we can, okay?"

April swallowed back her tears and nodded, a small smile creeping back onto her lips. "Okay Daddy." 

Niall chuckled and ruffled her messy brown locks. "That's my girl." 

April smiled in pride at being called Uncle Niall's "girl". She faced her Daddy again, and hugged him tightly, simply just because she loved hugging him. It was her way of reminding him that she loved him, oh so much. "Daddy," She breathed.

Harry felt her hot breath on his neck. "Yes, baby?"

"Where are we going for holiday?" She asked, her bad pronunciation making it sound more like; "Where we go-ween fo' howiday?"

The Cheshire lad looked over his daughter's shoulder to his best friend, who was giving him a questioning look. Harry then realized he hadn't thought of a place to go. Until now, that is. A sudden thought hit him like a tsunami. "Yorkshire," He said, more to himself than to the two others present. 

Then he smiled and looked at April. Confidently he said; "Yeah. We're going to Yorkshire."

//

Getting a week off work was so easy, that Harry wondered why he'd never done it before. In-between official holidays, of course. His boss, Ed, had acted so casual about the situation. It was almost as if he was more relieved than disappointed. He had said exactly what Niall said, about needing a break. He was even relieved when Harry told him Niall would be taking his place for that week. Sometimes he thought there was something going on with those two, but he never dared question it. He'd always get the same answer from both of them;  _"Harry, I'm straight."_ To which Harry would roll his eyes and mutter a,  _"Whatever you say."_

April was more than excited for this trip. For the past two weeks she had been watching her Dad google stuff to do in the area, and places to stay. They had already found a hotel, and that's where they were heading now. 

April kept her eyes glued to the window, pretty much the whole way there. While her father, who was slightly more stressed and worried, was looking at a map of Yorkshire, trying to plan the whole trip out. Harry had always been one of those people who liked to plan things out, but just wasn't very good at it. 

"Daddy look!" April suddenly said, poking her Dad's shoulder then pointing out the window. Harry followed his daughter's finger, to see a lovely view of hills, sheep, and farms. He smiled a smile. The type of smile that reached his eyes.

He squeezed his daughter's hand. "We're here," He breathed. 

"Where Daddy?" She asked, excitedly jumping up and down in her seat.

"Yorkshire Dales, princess." Harry chuckled. 

The cab driver looked at the two through the rear view mirror. "Where are you headed now?" He asked in a strong Yorkshire accent, which made sense, really. 

"Hillside Lodge," The Cheshire lad said in his deep, husky voice. 

April nodded frantically as the cab driver turned the corner, causing Harry to laugh and kiss her head. "You excited button?" He mumbled into her hair, that smelt oddly of peaches.

April giggled. "April is so, so excited Daddy!"

Harry smiled at her in admiration. "Daddy's glad." If anything, this holiday was worth it just to see his daughter's beautiful smile and her eyes shine (which he didn't know was possible until he adopted April). 

The cab driver turned the corner and in the blink of an eye, there stood the building Harry and April were going to be staying at for the next two weeks. Hillside Lodge. Harry's eyes widened as the cab driver tried to find a place to park. It looked just as good as it had looked on the website, if not better. The building itself looked a tad old, with brick walls and chimneys. The garden looked like something out of a Disney movie and Harry was sure April would instantly fall in love with it

They jumped out the parked cab and Harry handed the man the required money. After a small 'thank you' Harry was being dragged to the building. And yeah, April may be young but damn has she got strength. That defiantly comes from Nick's side of the family.  _  
_

A short woman with dirty blonde hair died back into a bun greeted them. As she spoke and searched in her pocket for the room key card, Harry couldn't help but notice the look of admiration in her eyes and the slightly too enthusiastic smile etched on her big lips as she watched him closely. Sure it made him feel ( _extremely_ ) uncomfortable, but for April's sake he chose not to question it.

"You're in the suite, yes?" She asked as she led them up the stairs. Carrying both his and April's suitcases (as she was too intrigued by the events unfolding with kids down below and claimed she was too tired) Harry was heaving and barely managed to answer with a weak, "yes". 

"Just call if you need me, my number's on the wall. Or you could come downstairs, I guess. Many don't," She handed Harry the key, flashed him a wink, and was off in the blink of an eye. Said man shivered and scrunched up his face at April, causing her to laugh loudly. They both knew Harry didn't 'roll' that way. In other words, he's into dick (even if he wasn't he wouldn't go for her, her lips were slightly too red, her smile was slightly too wide and her voice was slightly too high). 

Harry shook his head. He wasn't going to let the thought of a creepy woman downstairs ruin his trip, and with that he swiped the key card across the key reader, and opened the door. The view hit him hard because  _oh_ , it must have cost Niall and Gemma (who had kindly payed for the room in between them) a fortune for this room. He stood dazed for a second, taking it all in. 

They were stood in the sitting room (which sounds ironic, really) with a couch, TV, dressing table and a.. drinks chiller? Harry heavily walked into the next room, the bedroom, containing a king sized bed (for himself), a single bed in the corner (for April), and a large flat screen TV. Oh, and another drinks chiller. 

"Drop the bags, Daddy." April chuckled, pointing her chubby finger at the suitcases still draped in her father's hands. 

Harry blushed and did as his daughter told him to, mumbling a: "sorry", as if she was his parent and not the other way around. 

April grinned and fell back onto the king sized bed, letting out a huge sigh. Harry gasped dramatically, "Oy, that's my bed!" 

The young girl cried out in laughter as her dad tickled her tummy, picked her up and spun her in the air. She giggled and lay her head on his chest, thumb in mouth. Harry smiled at admiration, and stopped spinning. He pressed his lips on top of April's head, and inhaled her fruity scent. "Are you happy, sweetheart?"

"Really, really happy Daddy," She sighed dreamily. And really, that's all Harry needed to hear. 

//

Harry thought he had the whole trip planned out, he really did. But maybe it was good it hadn't been. They kinda just went 'with the flow'. On Monday, they went shopping in Doncaster (they didn't have April's favourite shoes in her size so that ended up in a strop). Tuesday, they went to the beach, which resulted in not only a crying April (a seagull had stamped on her sand castle and ruined it) but also a grumpy Harry, so  _that_  hadn't worked out. By Wednesday, both Harry and April were knackered, and Harry was beginning to think he'd rather have stayed at home working late nights than be here. 

So, Wednesday was spent as more of a free day. April went out into the garden and thank  _god_  she was enjoying that. Harry took this time to Skype Niall. He may have lied a tiny bit (okay, a lot) by saying he and April were having a wonderful, stress free time, but who was he to tell the truth? Niall had been so generous in paying for half of this trip  _and_ for taking his place at work, even though he didn't like cooking or baking (he only liked to eat the food afterwards). Harry couldn't just say it was disastrous and he'd rather be at home? That would make him seem extremely self-centered and low at heart. So he thanked him, and finished just in time to see April bouncing into the room, a joyful smile on her face. This bought relief to Harry as he thought,  _finally_.

"Hello, love. Have fun?" 

She nodded so quickly, Harry was afraid she'd get whiplash. She sat on the edge of the king sized bed, opposite him, and began pouring out with stories of the day's events. "Oh it was so  _lovely_  Daddy! There were flowers, and birds, and green everywhere! I met the kids - they're twins, a girl and a boy! - who are  _so_  cool, we played Princesses and Princes!"

Harry smiled, feeling content that his little girl was happy. He had tried so hard to take her places to satisfy her needs, when really, all she needed was a day at the lodge. She continued blabbering on about her day in the garden, when suddenly her eyes lit up. She bounced up and down on the bed, looking like she just found out she was getting a puppy. "Oh! Daddy guess what Ellie told me!" 

Ellie? Oh of course, the girl April hung out with. One of the twins. Harry mentally slapped himself. God dammit Styles, pay attention to your daughter! "What did she tell you, babe?"

"She told me about a zoo near here! A  _zoo_  Daddy! She went there with Jon and her parents, she said they had monkeys! Can we go Daddy? Please,  _pleeease_?"

Harry chuckled and ruffled her hair. "We'll see angel, we'll see." 

That night Harry stayed up until the early hours browsing on his phone for ' _Yorkshire Zoo_ ' (he didn't know the name of it, shut up). The results that came up were endless, and Harry found himself furrowing his eyebrows and clicking on the first result. ' _Yorkshire Wildlife Park_ '. The place looked lovely, and the website was very... bright. If that made much of a difference (to Harry it did, one will never know why). 

His eyes scanned down the homepage until he came across something that interested him. The headline ' _Wildlife Tour with Head Zookeeper'_ stood bright and bold. Since Harry had no fucking clue when it came to wildlife, he clicked on the link. A new page opened up, a picture of baby tigers causing him to let out a small "aw". He may know nothing about animals, but he sure as hell liked them. Just maybe not as much as his daughter did. 

_Wanna come see Monkeys? Elephants? Tigers? Find out about how they feed? Protect their territory? Attract the opposite sex? Then you've come to the right place! Join head zookeeper Louis Tomlinson in an exclusive Wildlife Tour around the park, running from 1:30pm til' 3:30pm. Other than having a degree in Zoology, Louis Tomlinson is also Yorkshire's best zookeeper (voted by our guests) and an expert on all living things. He'll tell you all you need to know, from where do sheep poo, to why Tigers only hunt in the dark. Come along and join the tour, and you might just find out!_

Harry finished reading the short summary of the Wildlife Tour, with raised eyebrows. This Tomlinson guy must be one heck of a heavy worker. If he thought his job was hard, he thought this looked worst. But then again, if he was so interested in animals, maybe he didn't mind it? 

He looked over to his sleeping daughter, instantly feeling relaxed. She had that effect on him, even with her nose slightly snotty and loud snores escaping her mouth. Harry chuckled and placed his phone beside his bed. After switching the lamp off, he rolled onto his side, and closed his eyes, thinking of the next day. 

They could always just go to the Wildlife Park tomorrow. I mean, what other plans did they have? He didn't want to have another miserable day, even if this one had been somewhat successful. Plus, he hated to admit it, but the Wildlife Park seemed pretty fun. Especially the tour. He'd always wanted to know  _where sheep poo_. Smiling softly at the reminder, he bet that Tomlinson guy wrote that paragraph himself, and wow he was already picturing this boy. Mischievous, yet successful. Hmm. Maybe Harry should follow in his footsteps. Said man rolls over, eyes tightly shut. Its like he's drunk when he's this tired. His thoughts mean nothing at all, but he was sure of one thing.

Yeah. They're going to the Wildlife Park tomorrow. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Harry was tired. 

Harry was stressed.

Harry was having second thoughts about going to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. 

From the minute he woke up, he knew something wasn't right. His stomach was churning, sweat was gathered up on his forehead, and his head was pounding and  _oh,_ and it was 5am. It was when he felt something rise up his throat and his stomach grumbling, that he knew what was about to happen. In under two minutes, Harry had managed to jump out the bed, waddle over to the bathroom, and vomit all of his stomach's contents out into the toilet. 

Tired, flushed, hot, sweaty, and still feeling sickly, Harry passed out right there on the bathroom floor. And that's how April found her daddy when she woke up at 7am, ready for a day out in the wildlife park. When she opened the door to the bathroom, hand over her crotch (as she was  _bursting_ for the toilet) she never expected to see her dad lying, snoring on the cold bathroom tiles with a strong smell of vomit circling the room. 

"Daddy?" She gasped, dropping to her knees and hugging her father's long pajama clad legs. "Wake up Daddy!" 

Harry let out a low groan, his dream about being a world famous indie star interrupted. His eyelashes fluttered before he opened his eyes, his vision blurry at first, but slowly coming back to focus after a second or two. "April?" He said groggily.

"Daddy! You awake!" April clapped her hands happily. Then she stopped, looking at her daddy weirdly. "Why you asleep in bathroom?" 

Harry didn't know what she was talking about, until the pounding returned to his head, and the cramp in his neck became more obvious. "Daddy's sick, princess." He pouted. 

The little girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Is that why there's bad smell?" 

Harry chuckled. "Yes babe. I was sick." 

"Why?"

Her dad thought for a second, not really knowing the answer. What had made him sick? It could've been a bug, but then he didn't feel too bad now. At least not as bad as he had at five in the morning. His mind traveled to the dinner they'd had last night. Chicken.  _Food poisoning._  That would explain a lot, like April hadn't had the chicken and that's probably why she's alright. "The food I had last night made me sick, babe."

April pouted and wrapped her small arms around Harry's muscular body. "Poor daddy. Are we still going to zoo?" She pulled back, and Harry noticed her eyes were slightly watery. He really should relax but, how could he say no to those  _big brown eyes_...

"Yes, but not until later bub. I need to shower and let my stomach rest for a while first." 

"Because you stink!" April laughed, pinching her nose with her chubby fingers.

"Oy! Rascal," Harry chuckled, tickling the little girl's tummy. "Now go get dressed, like you said. I stink."

"No, no. I need potty, daddy." 

So Harry let his daughter do her business (thank god she's potty trained), and as soon she was done and out of the bathroom, he jumped into the shower. The heat and steam caused his head to hurt again, so as soon as he finished taking care of his curls and washing the scent of his own vomit off his body, he turned the water off. 

April was waiting for Harry when he came out in just a towel. He was happy to see she had followed his orders, and she was now dressed in a long top with stars on it and purple legging. On her feet she supported a pair of ugg boots, which she had gotten for her third birthday. The only thing left for treating was her blonde hair, which right now resembled a bird's nest. 

"Is daddy's tummy better now?" April asked, hopeful. Harry realized she was asking this more for going to the Wildlife Park, than for caring about his health, but he let it slip. 

"Yes April, it's calmed down now." 

April grinned and started jumping about yelling: "Yippee!" 

Harry smiled as he got changed into his outfit for the day. Just his usual black skinny jeans and band shirt, brown boots on his feet and a grey beanie on his head. He picked his favourite blue and white plaid shirt off the floor, and wore it open over his shirt. Nothing too special. I mean, he's only going to the Wildlife Park. When he finished changing, he took care of both his and April's hair, quickly blow drying and flipping his to the side. He made April's into a fish braid, which she was both chuffed and happy about ("thank you, oh thank you daddy!")

Now, Harry must really love his daughter, because even though he felt like he could throw up (if he had any contents left in his stomach to do so) and his hands were clammed with sweat drops, he was still sat with her in a taxi heading towards Yorkshire Wildlife Park. As the curly haired lad lay his head tiredly on the taxi window, April talked about the little girl she had met the day before, Leighton.

And she talked, and she talked.

By the time they had reached the entrance of the Wildlife Park, Harry knew pretty much everything he could about this girl (her long  _sparkling_ brown hair, big blue eyes that  _look like stars_ ). He'd be lying if he said he wasn't being a concerned father, and wasn't wondering why his daughter had taken such a liking in Leighton.

"That'll be £15 please," The young taxi man turned his body around so he was facing the Cheshire lad and his daughter.

Harry buried his hand into his jacket, and pulled out the money needed. With a mumble of a 'thanks', Harry slipped outside, April close in tow.

Her reaction to the Wildlife Park was a mirror of Harry's. Both stood with jaws slightly dropped and eyes bulging as they took in the view of families laughing, teenagers eating, zookeepers rushing, zebras munching and peacocks squawking. It was a natural looking place, but it had this friendly, welcoming feeling about it and Harry could already feel the colour returning to his cheeks.

"Wow," April whispered, hand clenching her father's clammy one.

"Wow indeed," Harry breathed. He couldn't help but smile. A family had just passed them, and their smiles were contagious.

Suddenly, the lad spotted a group of people surrounding a small figure to his right. He looked down at his watch, and yeah. It was 1:30. This had to be their tour. His eyes traveled to the small figure in the middle that all eyes were focused on. He couldn't really see him well, apart from the fact that he was wearing very tight jeans and a white polo shirt. This must be Louis Tomlinson. He looked a little young to be head zookeeper, but from what Harry had read online, he figured he was a pretty smart guy.

Harry squeezed his daughter's hand, causing her to look in the direction he was looking in. "Is that where we go, daddy?" 

The man in question nodded, before direction April over to the tour. "Now remember angel," Harry began his parental responsibility talk under his breath. "If someone tries to take you, scream and shout. Make sure someone hears you. If you get lost, remember I told you where to go-" 

"Yes. Yes. Daddy, I know," April giggled rolling her eyes playfully. "Over where there are big yellow people."

Harry chuckled.  _If only he could get away with called them big yellow people_. "Yes, love. Although I wouldn't call them that. I'm not sure if they'd like that-"

"Hello," A slightly high-pitched voice interrupted. "Are you joining us?"

Still not glimpsing at the man speaking, Harry knelt down to button up April's jacket. "Yea, sorry we're a bit late." He muttered, tongue poking out as it did when he concentrated. 

"It's alright mate, you're only a minute late or so. We're just starting off at the zebras right now."

Harry stood up, facing April and double checking that he'd buttoned up every single button. He had. So he turned around and-  _shit_. Two pools of sparkling blue eyes were staring right into his and Harry thought he was looking in a magazine, because this boy looked like a model. Sure, he had some dirt on his face, and he wasn't wearing the tidiest clothes, but he still managed to pull that 'Brad Pitt' look: with his tan skin, chiseled jaw, button nose, long lashes that framed his lovely blue eyes, thin yet full looking pink lips, and slight facial hair that made him look  _oh so hot_. His feathery hair blew in the wind, softly hitting his smooth forehead from time to time. Yeah. He was a typical hottie. 

The man (Harry had looked at his name tag and yea, he was the tour guide) - Louis - must've noticed the curly lad staring at him for a little too long, as his smirk didn't go unseen. Breaking out of the trance, Harry cleared his throat and looked down at the ground, cheeks pooling with colour as he mumbled; "Yea. Right behind you."

Louis chuckled, turned around, and Harry ashamedly let his eyes wander down to the curve of the tour guide's butt. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't the best arse he'd ever laid eyes on. Suddenly, Harry felt a finger prod his thigh. He looked down to see his daughter looking up at him with big 'puppy' eyes. 

"You alright, babe?" Harry asked, as softly as he possibly could.

April smiled meekly and giggled. "Your eyes were big when you looked at that boy, daddy. Just like they do when you see those actors on TV." 

Harry blushed. Sometimes he wished his daughter didn't observe him and who he found attractive quite so much. Or at all, even. 

"Do you think he's pretty, daddy?"

Her father nibbled his bottom lip, looking as if he was deep in thought (for his daughter's sake, obviously). "I don't know April," He answered with honesty. I mean sure the boy was attractive. He could be a Hollywood actor, or a model for god's sake. But pretty? That was on a whole new level. 

"I think he's pretty," April said casually. 

Harry gaped at his three year old daughter, prodding her in the side with his finger, causing her to giggle helplessly. "Shush you!" He teased, chuckling to himself. 

By this time, the group and the Styles family had reached the Zebra enclosure, and Louis was beginning to talk. Harry listened closely as Louis spoke about the Safari, striped animals. From time to time he'd point out one of the creatures to April, and by the end of the talk she had ended on his shoulders, as she had complained that not only her height kept her from seeing the animals, but her 'legs are hurting'. Which Harry found hard to believe as they hadn't even walked quarter of a mile yet, but he gave in anyway. 

During the next three talks about the Wild Bison, the Peacocks, and the Monkeys, the curly lad and the head zookeeper kept having eye contact. From time to time one of the two would flicker their eyes to the other, and once they'd realize the other had been staring, they'd turn away. This had been going on for the hour that those three talks had been taking place, and Harry was now feeling unusually restless. He wasn't sure why, but his burning forehead was one clue, while the butterflies in his stomach was another.

The group had now reached the park's highlight. The Bengal Tigers. And Harry realized why they were such a big deal, because  _whoa._  They were magnificent creatures. As Louis spoke about the female and the male, Harry could see the glint in Louis's eyes, and the stretched smile on his lips that caused crinkles to appear by his eyes. Anyone could tell (or maybe it was just Harry, I mean he had been looking at the boy for a little lounger than the other visitors) that this was Louis's favourite part of the tour, of the  _whole park._ And Harry really couldn't find another word to describe it than 'adorable'. 

It was now nearing the end of the tour, and as a treat, Louis took the group back to see the Tigers.  _"You can go watch them from the top if you like, better view an' all."_  

"Daddy," April pouted. "I can't see." 

Harry bent down and picked up his daughter, grunting a little in the process. She wasn't exactly a feather. "There you go love," He said, pecking her temple.

April giggled and pointed over to the Tigress, that was making his way over to them. "Look, daddy. Look!" 

"She's beautiful," Harry breathed, hardly believing how close he was to the creature. 

"She is, isn't she," Another voice had joined, a certain high-pitched Yorkshire accent, scaring Harry so much he had almost dropped April.

"Y-yeah," Harry answered, quite lost for words. Who could blame him, he had almost dropped his daughter because of a highly attractive man who was now standing so close to him Harry could smell his vanilla scent lingering around him. It was quite overwhelming.

"Her name's Alkilah, meaning intelligent," Louis continued, completely oblivious to the shock he had just created. "She escaped just this morning, in fact. Happens occasionally. And the other one, over there, is her mate, Sarim. Means brave. We're lucky he isn't the one that escapes, or who knows where we'd all be! Dead is a possibility. But don't worry mate, there isn't much of a chance of that happening. Not while I'm in charge." 

Harry blinked. Twice. Three times. Boy, could he talk. "Er, yes," Out of nowhere, a wave of confidence seemed to wash across the Cheshire lad. "I mean, you seem like a really good keeper. I bet the animals love you."

Louis laughed. "I guess you could say that. But they don't love me enough to hug me or shit, ya know?"

Harry cleared his throat and gestured towards the little girl that was stood beside him, giggled at the two of them. She seemed entertained by the chat going on between her father and the head zookeeper, and that she was. She wasn't blind, and her dad was like an open book. She could see him ogling at the Yorkshire lad from a mile away, if he let her that far away.

Louis cursed under his breath before sending April a flash of perfect, pixie-like teeth. He knelled down to her height (which Harry noted wasn't hard for him, seeing as he was short anyway; couldn't be any taller than 5'6). "'Ello love," He said sweetly, his accent clear.

"Hi," April squeals. 

Louis chuckles, a sound that makes Harry feel like the Wildlife Park is spinning. "Is your name as pretty as you?" The head zookeeper winks, causing Harry to scoff and April to giggle,  _again_.

"I'm April," She tries to copy Louis's wink, but miserably fails, turning it into more of a blink. She holds out her small hand, and shakes it with Louis's dainty one. Harry hadn't realized until now, but Louis was really small and dainty all over. He looked like a mouse beside the curly haired boy's lanky frame. Height difference had always been a turn on for Harry, though. He loved the thought of resting his head on his partner's, wrapping his arms around the other's waist, and kissing his neck. It made him feel like he was the leader in the relationship, even if in the bedroom he was the less dominant one, usually. That's how it had been like with Nick.

Or in other words, the last time Harry had gotten laid. 

Yea. Harry hadn't been laid in two to three years. Ever since he walked in on Nick fucking that girl senseless, he couldn't bring himself to having a one night stand, or even think about having one. It took him around a year and a half to get over the cheating bastard, and by that time he was too busy with April to get to any clubs or bars. An occasional wank was all he lived with for the now. Even if sometimes he did wish there was someone there to please him, instead of it always being his own large hand. But oh well. Maybe he'd find someone to look after April this week, then he'd go out to a club or a bar. Yea. 

"Hello? Curly? You alright?"

Harry shook his disturbed thought, and nodded at the concerned boy infront of him.  _Curly,_ he thought with a small smile. 

"You sure? You look so pale," Louis muttered, his eyes raking up and down Harry's face. To say that made him feel self-conscious is easy to understand. 

"What, are you my mother now?" Harry joked with a roll of his eyes. 

"Shut up and look at me," 

Harry did as he had been told. Louis splayed his hand across Harry's lined forehead. The heat radiating from Louis's skin on his sent a shiver down Harry's back, his heart now beating twice as much as it had before. "You're burning up," Louis whispered. 

"Yeah. I had food poisoning this morning."

Harry mentally slapped himself.  _Oh there you go Harry. Well done you idiot. Go telling the hot guy who actually cares for your health that you had food poisoning and scare him off. Well done._

Much to the curly boy's relief, Louis cooed and ran his hair through Harry's hair, just as he liked it. The lad who was getting his hair ran through felt himself relax against the other's touch. "Poor you. And April," He gasped, pulling his hand out of Harry's curls (Harry grunted from the loss) "You dragged your dad here even though he was ill?"

April's head hang in shame. "I'm sorry, I thought-"

"I'm just joking with ya kiddo," Louis laughed, patting her head with his delicate hand.

Her mouth formed into a little 'oh' as she began to giggle.  _She's a giggler_ , Harry decided. 

Louis faced Harry. He thrusts his hand out and says, "'M Louis."

"I know," Harry blurts out before blushing. "I mean, I saw your name tag and-"

"I know mate. But we haven't had a proper introduction, have we?" Louis asked with raised eyebrows. 

"The name's Harry," He said, shaking the other's hand and blushing again as their skin collided. 

"Nice to meet you Harry," Louis muttered, eyes yet again raking up and down the other lad's body. 

Feeling slightly self-conscious, Harry swallowed and nodded his head, quite unsure what to say at first. "Shouldn't we be getting on with the tour?"

Louis bit his lip and nodded, before leaning in closer to the boy. "It's almost done," He whispered. And then, without any warning whatsoever, he slipped his hands into the back pocket of Harry's skin tight jeans. The Cheshire boy bit his lip so hard it was starting to draw blood, as Louis's hand was obliviously cupping his arse. Louis leaned in even closer to Harry, so close he could feel his breath on his ear. "Call me," The head zookeeper whispered, and then he was off. 

Harry kept his gaze on the small figure until he was around the corner and out of sight. He felt like the paper that Louis had slipped in his jeans burning a hole through his pocket, and he was aching to read it. But from the look April was giving him, and from the wind picking up around the park, he decided against it and instead decided to read it as soon as they got back.

Heart still thumping loudly in his chest, Harry took April's hand and directed her towards the parking lot. He took his phone out of his pocket, fingers brushing against the paper, and called a taxi to go home. 

However, Harry isn't known for being a patient guy. In fact, Niall even described him as one of the most inpatient guys he knows. His hand was itching, and he kept looking back at the pocket with the paper in it (which must have looked weird as that meant he was looking at his own butt). Harry had had enough. He needed to see that paper. I mean, how long had it been since a hot man had slipped a paper into his pocket? It felt like centuries since that had happened.

So he did it. He took out the paper, only a mile or so away from where they were staying. And he read it. And his palms were sweating, and his pulse was racing. 

 _Hey I just met you,_  
And this letters crazy,  
But you're ridiculously hot,  
so here's my number  
(Call me cheesy but;)  
Call me Maybe. - Louis.   
  
And yeah. Harry nearly had a stroke. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the overdue update, there's been a lot going on right now and I had my other story to write so I didn't find much time to write. But I hope this made up for it! I'm sorry if it seems like it's moving fast, but I have a lot planned so really it's not. 
> 
> And now I'm off to get a filling. Yay.


	3. Chapter 3

  
Thirty minutes had passed, and Harry was still sat at the edge of his bed, eyes scanning the piece of paper for what felt like (and possibly was) the hundredth time. He had tried not looking at the number, he really had. But he couldn't seem to get the blue eyed zookeeper out of his mind; which was crazy, really. I mean he'd only met the guy once. For all he knows he could be a part-time robber (though he highly doubted it; unless Louis stole animals for a living). 

Harry sighed. Honestly, he just wanted to call Louis and get it over with. But a little voice in his head was telling him different:   
 _What if he doesn't remember you? For all you know he could be giving his number to a lot of people.  
You hardly know the guy. He could be... be like Nick.  
_ _What if it gets awkward? You don't want that._  
And Harry really, really didn't want that. And he also didn't want him to be like Nick, though he doubted him to be. He didn't seem like a guy that would cheat, but then again, neither did Nick. 

His thoughts were literally in a tangle. He hadn't been left in such a tough situation since his last relationship, and that had been three years ago. His memory wasn't that fresh, he's 24 for god's sake. Basically an old man. 

"Daddy, please come play outside with me!" April whined, pulling at her Dad's short sleeve. 

Harry grunted, slipping the piece of paper back to the place it had been for the last two days; his pocket. "April," he began, picking up the petite, little girl and setting her on his lap. "I'm sorry babe, but before we do anything else, we should go to the shop. We're short of, well, everything." 

April appears to roll her eyes - an antic she learned from her father - as she takes in what Harry said. Well, all she got from it was that he wasn't going to play outside with her. So she did was she did best: looking up at her Dad with her bottom lip sticking out and wide eyes. "Please? Leighton will be there?"

Harry's eyes squinted. His daughter had been hanging out with so called 'Leighton' for the past two days, and he still hadn't met her. "Fine, only for five minutes or so, though. We still need food for tonight."

April's face split into a grin as she recognized her achievement. "Thank you, Daddy!" 

The lad rolled his eyes (it must be a gene in the Styles family, really) but his lips supported a smile. "I'll be out in a minute, doll." 

April's smile widened at that. She turned on her heel and out she went, leaving the door wide open. Harry stood up, stretched his long limbs, scratched his scalp and walked lazily to the door to collect his jacket. As he did this, he took a peak outside the window. Down below, he could see his fair-haired daughter and a slightly smaller figure giggling. He couldn't see very well seeing as he was on the second floor, but he could just make out the other girl's tanned features and dark hair. The girl April had been very fond of in the last few days. And when he said very, he meant very. 

With a shake of his curls and a click of his tongue, Harry was walking downstairs. The minute he stepped outside, April was there; pulling the other girl behind her. "Daddy, this is Leighton. Leighton, meet my Daddy." 

Harry thrusted is hand foreword, before stupidly realizing that this girl was so much smaller than he was. So he knelt. And this time he was at the right height to shake her hand. "Hello Mr Styles, April has told me all about you," Leighton had a slight posh voice and Harry wondered if she went to private school. 

April sent Leighton a soft smile at that. This didn't go unseen by Harry, but he didn't question it. Instead, he flashed Leighton a smile himself. "It's nice to see you too, Leighton. April's told me all about you, too." 

A blush swept across the tanned girl's cheeks. "Oh, good things I hope."

Harry really wondered how old this girl was, as she was smaller than his daughter (though April was slightly tall for her age) but seemed to be more mature than half the adults he knew. All he did was give a deep-in-thought hum, and then he was being dragged half the way across the garden.

//

Half an hour or so later (defiantly over five minutes) all three of them were covered in mud; Harry slightly more than the other two, surprisingly (or maybe not). By the time he had finally been able to drag his daughter away from throwing yet another mud-pie at him, they both had to change clothes. After saying a quick goodbye to Leighton (or a quick hug, in April's case) the two were walking upstairs and to their room.

"Get changed," Harry threw on one of his band tees, not caring what he wore, as long as it was clean, "We'll go to the shops, as long as they're still open."

April did as she was told. There was silence, until she decided to speak up as Harry was tying his shoes, and she was putting on her uggs. "Do you like Leighton, Daddy?"

Harry paused, and looked over at her daughter. He could see hope in her wide eyes, with a mix of worry in there. He shrugged and continued tying his shoes. "Of course I liked her, love. Why? Were you worried I wouldn't?"

"I don't know," she answered in a small voice.

Harry stood up and walked over to April, kissing her forehead before helping her with the second ugg boot. "You know you can talk to me whenever you want, okay?"

She smiled and stood up. "Okay, Daddy."

He held his hand out for her and she gladly took it. "Let's go then."

The shops were, surprisingly, still open. Harry wasn't too familiar with Yorkshire, but he had checked Google maps earlier, so he knew there was a Tesco just a walking distance away from where they were staying. Honestly, where would men be without Google? 

Taking a shopping cart in his left hand and April in his other, Harry started down the fruit and vegetables isle, picking anything that looked tasty. He realized that he wasn't being very organized, but this was a holiday. He could get away with not having a shopping list. 

By the time they had reached the frozen foods isle, the cart was half full. It looked like too much for the two of them, but it probably wasn't. It would only do them for a week and then he'd have to be back. Oh, the joys of being a father. 

He was just about to reach out for a tub of mint ice cream, when his elbow hit off the handle and the trolley went flying forward. His first reaction was to check if it had hit anyone, which it had. It had bumped into the man's figure, sending a gasp out his lips and his groceries to the floor. 

Harry cursed under his breath, moving the trolley to the side and kneeling down to help with the fallen groceries. He wondered why the man had been holding a bag of lettuce and a box of mangoes in his hands in the first place, but that was the least of his worries right now. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean..."

It's when Harry looked up and met the man's azure eyes that he realized exactly who he had crashed into. The holder of the gorgeous eyes' lips turned up into a smirk. When he spoke, his voice was teasing. "Well, well. If it isn't Curly."

Harry gulped thickly, as the last man he'd expect to walk into stood before him. (Or in this case, the last man he'd expect to crash a trolley into.) "L-Louis, h-hey. Imagine seeing you here." 

Harry couldn't help but notice the crinkles that appeared by the other man's eyes when he smiled. It was nice. "I know," he chuckled. "Small world. Like, seriously. I swear I bump into someone unexpected every week I'm here - not that I'm here  _every_ week. Only when I need to be, of course. The benefit of living alone is not having to buy food for two. Or more than two, you know? Realisticly I guess you don't know. I mean you have April and all..." he trailed off. 

Harry chuckled.  _Boy he could talk_. (Not that he minded listening to the other man's slightly higher, sweet like velvet voice was a treat, really.) "I know what you mean," and Harry probably would've said that even if he had no bangin' clue what Louis was on about.

The Yorkshire lad nodded lazily for a second, before noting April's presence. "Hey, you!" 

April scrunched her nose up and giggled, shoving her tiny, chubby hand to her mouth. "Hi!"

Louis crouched down to her height and tickled her tummy with one finger. "Helping your Dad with food shopping, are you, love?"

The little girl nodded frantically. "Yes, I always help Daddy."

Harry rolled his eyes; they both knew this was a lie. "No you don't, you bugger."

April squealed as her father picked her up and swung her across his shoulder. She giggled as she settled with her legs around his long waist and arms around his neck. Louis grinned at the two of them, thinking his presence had been forgotten. But, really. He was Louis Tomlinson.  _Noone_ forgot Louis Tomlinson. Especially a certain curly haired lad. 

"Louis?" The man in question snapped his head up, noting that Harry had now put his daughter back on the ground.

"Mm?"

Harry took a step closer. "I really am sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Louis let out a soft laugh. "Harry, it's okay, really. You didn't hurt me." He patted his tummy, an idiotic grin on his face. "I'm made of steel, basically."

Harry laughed at that, and Louis admired the way his hand found its way to his chest and his eyes fluttered closed for a second as laughter spilt out his mouth. "Sounds like something you'd hear in an Iron Man movie," he joked.

"Oh, shut up you." Louis rolled his eyes. But a smile remained on his lips. 

Harry shook his hair lightly. "Anyway, we should get going. It's getting pretty late, and we still have the shopping to do." If he had been drunk, he'd say Louis looked slightly disappointed. But he wasn't; and he wasn't stupid either. 

Whatever emotion Harry had recognized on Louis' face had now disappeared, as the man just shrugged and smiled fondly. "Right. Yeah. Sure. I guess I'll see you around then?"

Harry bit his lip.  _Would he?_ "Yeah, I guess. April's so fond of the Wildlife Park, don't be too surprised if you see us there again sometime this week!"

April squealed from beside him. "Ooh, Daddy. Can we? Visit Lou-Lou at park?"

Harry's ears turned bright red from the nickname his daughter had given the blue-eyed-man. Laughter spilt carelessly out of Louis' mouth, as Harry's face continued to heat up (and it wasn't doing a very good job at hiding it, either). "S-sure love, of course we can," the Chesshire lad spluttered, keeping a hand splayed across his chest to control his anxious breathing. 

"Yeah," Louis muttered. "Please come visit," his eyes were digging into Harry's by this point. As he slowly made his way past, his lips hovered right above the other man's ear, breathing hotly down his neck, causing goosebumps to rise. "You didn't call," he whispered. Then he patted Harry's bum, caused the lad's breath to hitch. "I'll be waiting."

And just like the last time the two had been together, he vanished, leaving Harry just as he had the last time; In awe. 

-*-

Niall skyped Harry for the first time that night. 

After making sure April was in bed (and fast asleep), Harry made his way over to the desk in the living room, where the sleeping girl in the other room couldn't hear him. He took a seat in the swivel chair, and opened up his laptop. As the screen lit up and started to load, Harry received a text from his Irish pal:  _hey mate r u on yet??_

Harry typed out his password quickly, before replying to Niall's text:  _just put April to bed. I'll be there in a second._

Okay, so maybe it was more than a second. More like ten minutes, but who was Harry to tell his gullible best friend that. He clicked the Skype icon on his desktop, and chuckled when he saw an incoming call coming from Nandos' chicken. Honestly, he questioned why he had taken Niall to the restaurant in the first place. If he had known he'd be  _this_ obsessive, he'd take him anywhere but there. 

With a click of the accept button, a blurred image of the blonde boy appeared on the laptop screen. As the image began to focus, Harry could see his best friend more clearly: his apron, grinning face (that was smeared with flour and something else that looked suspiciously like ketchup) and messy blonde hair.

Harry raised a brow, followed by the small mirror on the right side of the screen. "You enjoying working then?" 

Niall cheered, purposely ignoring the curly boy's question. "'Ey, mate!"

Harry gave a little flick of his fingers in greeting. "Hey, Niall. How are you?"

"Your voice sounds even slower on video. Wow." Niall deadpanned, yet again ignoring Harry's question. 

Harry rolled his eyes. "Is there ever going to be a day where you  _don't_ mock my voice?"

Niall grinned. "Probably not. So anyway, how you been? How's Yorkshire?"

"It's been great 'suppose. Thank you so much again, for doing this. It feels amazing not having to get up at six thirty every morning, not going to sleep every night worrying if I got the recipe right, it's so... stress-free."

Niall's smile widened. "What did I tell ya? You needed it. Its no bother really, the bakery's not as bad as you make it out to be."

"It's not that it's bad," Harry mumbled. "It can just get stressful sometimes."

"Well you are like Cheshire's best baker. There's a lot expected from you."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Nialler."

"It's no problem. Oh, Ed says he hopes you're enjoying the break, by the way."

"Tell him I am, and that I'll make those apple pies he requested when I get back." 

Niall laughed. "Will do." His face turned serious (well, as serious as Niall Horan can be). "So, have you met anyone?"

Harry snorted. "Yeah right," then his mind traveled to a certain blue eyed, tan skinned, zookeeper. He smiled, his eyes in a daze. "Well, there is this one guy. But he's kinda just a friend, if even that."

Niall gasped, hand flying to his open mouth. "Seriously? Harry Styles  _finally_ has a crush after taking three years to get over his previous boyfriend?"

Harry rolled his eyes, crossing his arms across his chest. "Shut up," he mumbled.

"Who is this guy?"

"He's the head zookeeper at Yorkshire Wildlife Park."

Niall laughed. "Really?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Yes, why's that so funny?"

"I just didn't think you went for those kind of people," he shrugged.

"And what kind of people would that be?"

Niall thought for a second. "I don't know, animal lovers?"

Harry's face broke out into a grin. "Well Nick was never much of an animal lover. I guess my taste has just changed a little."

The blonde boy snorted. "A little? Nick would run a mile if he did as little as see a cat!"

Harry laughed loudly, mind traveling back to the time he and Nick went to his cousin's house. Nick had spotted the fluffy, mewling creature, and had ran back out the house again. Harry had teased him for months afterwards. He calmed down, thinking about the fit animal lover. "Yeah, but there's something about Louis. He's... different."

Niall raised a brow. "Different as in, not Nick?"

Harry nodded. Niall leaned back in his swivel chair. "So tell me about this 'Louis' guy, I'm guessing he's the animal lover, yes?"

Harry nodded once again (or maybe he just continued nodding, it's hard to tell). "Basically, April met this girl Leighton, and she had told her about the Wildlife Park. Of course April, being April, wanted to go. So me, being me, let her, and went with her of course. So I browsed the website, and found out about this tour that took you around the enclosures with the head zookeeper..."

"Louis?" Niall interrupted.

"Louis." Harry replied. He continued, "As I have like no knowledge on animals, I decided this tour was a good idea. And fuck Niall, if Louis isn't the hottest, prettiest, funniest guy I've ever seen."

Niall laughed. "And you've spoke to him like what, once?" 

"Twice actually," Harry argued. "We bumped into him just about an hour ago at Tescos."

"Tesco, bringing couples together since 96," Niall said in his best announcer voice.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at his immature friend. Sometimes (when he wasn't being his annoying self) he loved having Niall there. He could light up any situation, no matter what. "Do you think I should call him, Ni?"

Niall stopped joking around, and sat right in front of the web cam, eyes slightly wide. (Or it could have just been the pixels, Harry wasn't sure). "Hold the fuck up. He gave you his number?!"

Harry blushed. "Yes."

"Dude!" Niall cheered. "Of course you should call him! When did he give you his number? Tesco or the Wildlife Park?"

"The Wildlife Park."

"Oh damn," He groaned. "You left him waiting you idiot!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Funny, since Louis said something along the lines of 'I'll be waiting'."

"So what the hell are you waiting for? Pigs to fly? Go call him now mate! 'Cos I'm telling you, it'll be a while before that happens." 

A smile spread across the Cheshire lad's face, a new found confidence taking over. "Alright. That's what I'll do."

"That's a good lad," Niall grinned.

"I'll talk to you later Nialler, thanks a lot." 

The blonde boy waved goodbye, and hang up. Harry almost immediately took his phone out of his pocket, pulling the paper out with it. He dialed the number, and put the phone to his ear. As the beeps sounded, Harry was panicking a little (okay, a lot), and who could blame him, really. His rapid breathing was the only thing that could be heard, as the beeps stopped. Harry's chest rose and fell, faster than it ever had. 

"Hello?"

Harry gulped, his eyes fluttering close for a minute. It took him a second to realize that this wasn't a dream, this was reality, and after the second "Hello," Harry decided, what is there to lose? 

"Hey Louis, it's Harry." 

//

Words: 3327


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soo sorry for the delayed update. I've been real busy. :( hope this makes up for it!

_"Hello?"  
  
_ _Harry gulped, his eyes fluttering close for a minute. It took him a second to realize that this wasn't a dream, this was reality, and after the second "Hello," Harry decided, what is there to lose?_

_"Hey Louis, it's Harry."_

"Harry! It's Curly, right?" 

The boy in question chuckled, praying to god that his nervousness wasn't too obvious. "What's it going to take for you not to call me that?"

"A fair bit boy, a fair bit." 

Harry laughed. "Name it." 

"The Fray tickets and twenty cans of coke."

'Curly' pretended to think for a minute. "I'm not loaded, mate." 

" _Mate_?" Louis' voice was teasing. "I've been friend zoned?"

The corner's of Harry's mouth twitched. "Sorry to disappoint."

Even though he couldn't see him, Harry imagined Louis was shrugging. "Oh well. Better than waiting for a call." 

Harry's cheeks flushed as he started to bite his nails. "I'm sorry Lou, honest. I had a lot on my mind and I-"

"Hey, hey." Louis interrupted. "No sweat. It's no big deal really, I was just starting to lose hope. That's all."

Harry's heart thumped. Did Louis really think he wouldn't call him? "Do you do it a lot?"

"What?" Louis' voice was hesitant.

"Do you do it a lot? Give your numbers to visitors?"

"Only to good looking one's." 

Harry's cheeks flushed again; or maybe they were still pink from before. This whole conversation was making his face feel on fire. "Oh," was all he managed to squeak out.

There was a chuckle from the other end of the line. "That's only been a couple of people though, Harry. You're actually the only one who's called."

That last sentence left Harry feeling a little blue. His first thought was that those people must be idiots, and his second being:  _am I just another one of them to him?_ He wasn't sure why he cared, really. The guy was a laugh and he could see them becoming good friends.  _  
_

"That's pretty hard to believe." He finally concluded.

Louis laughed, the sound sending a shiver down Harry's spine. It was hard to describe, but it sounded a little like chimes; soft, delicate and light. "And why would that be, Curly?" Again with the teasing voice.

Harry shook his head, hardly able to contain the smile placed on his lips. Even when Louis wasn't around, there was something contagious about him. He smiles, you smile. He laughs, you laugh along with him. "You're just hard to resist, that's all," and Harry really wondered where his sudden boost of confidence came from.

While he was wondering, the other end of the line was being filled with coo's of "aw!"

Harry rolled his eyes and sat down at the end of his bed. "Shut up," he mumbled, smile still visible.

Louis did as he was told, and cleared his throat. "So, Harry. Are you going to tell me what your reason was for calling? Apart from wanting to talk to me, since I'm so  _hard to resist._ "

Harry chuckled, trying to ignore the way his heart gave an extra loud thump. "Yeah, well, I was wondering, since we haven't really gotten to know each other too well... if you'd like to meet up for coffee sometime?" _  
_

He'd said the words so quick, that it took Louis a moment to register all he had said before responding. "Aw Curly, I'd love to! Where?"

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again quickly. He hadn't thought this over at all. He didn't know anywhere to go in Yorkshire; he hadn't been there long enough. "Em..."

Suddenly, Louis gasped. "Oh lord. You don't know anywhere do you? You're not from here, are you?"

Harry really wondered how Louis had caught on so fast. "Er, no. I don't. God, that's embarrassing." He laughed off his embarrassment, and to his relief, Louis laughed along with him.

"Don't worry about it Curly. I've lived here ma whole life. I know the best places. I'll text you the details, okay?"

Harry smiled. "Sounds good. Thanks, Louis."

"No sweat. Right so I better be going now, lock the animals in for the night."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Harry muttered. He couldn't help but notice the way his heart dipped a little, and the way his smile faltered. 

"So when will I see you? I'm off on Sunday?" 

Harry bit his lip, smile back and bigger than ever. "It's a date then."

"Oh, it is, is it?" He could tell Louis was smirking.

Harry blushed crimson, head hanging low. "Louis!" He squeaked. "You know what I mea-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. See you Sunday then. Two pm. I'll text you the details." And then he hang up. Harry sat staring at his phone for a second, not quite believing what had just happened. It had been way too long since Harry had asked someone on a date, as his last date had been with Nick, a few years back. 

It still felt like a dream until Harry's phone buzzed in his hand, and then he knew it had been real. Louis' name appeared on the screen (or to be more precise,  _Lou :)_ ), with text shown under it:

From: Lou :)

River Side Tea Room, has the best tea I've tasted in my life. (Oh, and amazing rocky roads). See you there! Can't wait. :) 

Harry held in a squeal after sending a quick reply. He chucked his phone on the bed and threw his pajama bottoms on and t-shirt off. He always went to bed shirtless, even in Winter. Nick used to admire him for it, saying he was like his personal heater. 

After brushing his teeth, Harry climbed under the covers and placed his phone carefully on the bedside table. He looked over at his sleeping daughter, smiling at her furrowed eyebrows and parted lips. It surprised him that she had slept through his phone call with Louis, but then again, it didn't really. Nick had been the same. Sleeping through alarms, screaming, TV.. you name it.

Harry squeezed his eyes closed, the rhythm of his heart and April's soft snoring causing him to feel more tired than he realized he was. It only took a few beats of his heart for him to fall into deep sleep.

                                                                            **

The man flipped the coin. He could feel all eyes on him, as the room fell into silence. He'd never felt such tension before, not like this. It was as if everyone in that room's lives depended on that coin. And in a weird way, they did.

The landing was always the hardest. The coin fell in what felt like slow motion, taking it's time to twist and turn before finally deciding to land. At first, there was just silence. It was as if they were trying to register what was happening. And then it happened, fast. Everyone scrambled, stumbling over to the table to see who had won. 

The man placed his hands on sturdy shoulders, and pushed the person who they belonged to away. Ignoring the shouts that attacked him, the man stepped forward. Noting his presence, the crowd scurried out of the way, wide eyes and set jaws everywhere he looked. He forced a grin, and looked down at the coin. He dropped down slowly, so that his eyes were in line with the piece of silver - and of course. 

It had landed on heads.

He stood up slowly, collecting the coin in his palm. He looked around the crowd, eyes all on him. He took a deep breath and looked at the people through his eyelashes. "It's heads."

Half the crowd yelled in delight, while the other half dropped on their knees, covered their faces with their hands, and cried out curses. The man smiled. As he walked through the happy half of the crowd, he felt content. Suddenly, he felt a pair of skinny arms snake around his middle, and a hot breath on the back of his neck. 

"Well done, babe." The voice whispered, seductive enough to make the man's toes curl.

He turned to face the woman before him, all blonde hair, big red lips and a figure most women would die for. He kept the smile on his face, knowing that's what she liked to see. He placed both hands on the woman's waist, letting his fingers dip into the curves of her hip. "Thank you. I do try."

She smirked. "How ironic." She let her hands run free, down the man's body and to his thighs. It sent a wave of arousal through the man, causing him to let out a low gasp. "Because you really don't have to try. Do you?"

"No," his eyes flew shut, his body felt like it was on fire. 

"Let's get out of here." She whispered in his ear. 

The man nodded, eyes now open as she began to lead him out of the room. They twisted down corridors and hallways, before finally making it into the bedroom, there for obvious reasons. As soon as the door had closed, she latched her lips into the man's neck and began to suck on it, causing him to throw his head back in pleasure. He let out a moan, loud enough to be heard over the music. 

"Now, now, Nick. Remember what I said about keeping quiet."

But Nick Grimshaw had never been one to keep quiet, and not only did they know that, but the whole crowd in the other room knew, too.

                                                                             **

Harry slept in on Sunday.

Now, to other people, sleeping in might mean an half an hour's over time or an hour or two. But not to Harry, no. When Harry slept in, he would sleep in for three or four hours, sometimes more, and today was one of those days. He woke up feeling tired yet content, but this didn't last long. As soon as his eyes met the alarm clock sat on his bedside table, he almost cursed. (And he would've done if April wasn't stood in the doorway). 

The clock read half midday, and Harry was supposed to drop April off at Leighton's room before going to meet Louis at two. He was fucked. The tea room was around half an hour's drive away too, and he also had to call a cab to get him there.

He jumped out of bed, surprising April as he did so. "Daddy! You've been asleep for ages!" She giggled, placing her palm sweetly against her lips. 

Harry nodded and was about to take off his bottoms, when a small head appeared behind April's, causing him to scream and lose his feeting. So now here he was, Harry Styles, on the day of his date, fallen over on his bum and now sat on the floor being looked at by two pairs of big eyes. 

"Oh yeah," April smirked. "Leighton is here, Daddy."

Harry groaned internally, but flashed Leighton a smile. As he stood up, he rubbed his sore arse. "Hey, Leighton. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

She grinned, showing a missing tooth. "That's okay, Mr Styles. It's not the first time it's happened to me."

Harry gave her a strange look, but decided against questioning it. He turned to April. "Ape, will you take Leighton into the living room while I get changed please?"

"Sure Daddy, oh and her mum said to just drop me off at her room."

"Okay. That's fine - just..." he gestured towards the door. "Close it, please."

There was a slam as the door was closed, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at he end of his bed and thanked the lord that he had set up clothes for the date the night before. Now all he had to worry about was his hair. 

He jumped quickly in the shower, washing his hair and rinsing the shampoo and conditioner out, before hopping back out again to blow dry his hair. He decided on wearing it in a messy quiff, noting that his hair was growing slightly too long for his liking. It was fine at the moment, but another two months and he wouldn't be able to see through masses of curls. 

He got changed then and sprayed himself a few times with Lynx. He went to stand in front of the big mirror in the bathroom, admiring the way he'd dressed up quite nicely and casually, perfect for a coffee date. At least, he counted it as a date. Who knows what Louis would count it as. 

Harry walked back into the bedroom, and grabbed his phone. He slipped in his pocket, before walking into the living room, where April and Leighton were playing -what looked like- a game of princesses. Harry leaned against the door frame, and admired the two for a second. 

He'd never seen his daughter so happy. The crinkles by her eyes and deep dimples stood out more than he'd ever seen them stand out before, and this made him feel... complete. To see her this happy, even if he wasn't entirely sure  _what_ made her feel this way, made him feel content. Something he hadn't felt in many, many years.

He hated to break up the moment, but it was now quarter to one, and Harry felt restless. He still had a cab to call. He clapped his hands together, causing the two girls to turn around in sync. "Come on girls, let's get you to the room."

April smiled widely. "I go with Leighton?" She asked, hopeful.

Harry returned the smile. "Yes, love. You'll be staying with her until I get back, okay?"

"Are you going to see Lou-Lou?" She asked, sending a wink Leighton's way. This caused her to giggle, and soon April was joining her.

Harry raised his brow. "Yes, babe. I am going to go see Louis. Now let's go, I don't want to be late!"

He guided the girls out of the room, like he was the sheepdog and they were the sheep. They wouldn't stop glancing back at Harry and then giggling all the way to Leighton's room, and without questioning he knew that April had told her friend about Louis. It didn't bother Harry, it just made his nerves kick in. 

Once he had thanked Leighton's mum (who was almost a replica of her daughter, short, brown hair in a bob, posh accent), he ran down to the lobby, phone out and calling the cab company before he had even reached the long corridor. 

He had to stifle an eye roll when he saw the woman who had taken him and April up to their room on the first day. The woman who'd been at his heel every time he came downstairs. Honestly, he was deciding on whether he should tell her he's gay or not.

"Sir. Sir! Can I help you, sir?" She stood in front of him at the entrance, and he really did roll his eyes this time. 

"No I'm fine, thanks." He said, his voice bitter. "If you excuse me please, I have a cab to-" 

A voice sounded in Harry's ear. "Hello. Yorkshire Cab Company here. How can we help?" 

Harry flashed the lady a slightly-too-big smile, before pushing past her and out the door. "Hey, yeah, I need a cab from Hillside Lodge in Yorkshire dales." 

"Sure thing. They'll be there in a tick." 

Harry sat on the bench as he waited, the wind blowing softly through his hair. He kept patting his pockets, afraid that he'd forgotten something important. But no, he had money and his phone. 

The cab appeared in less than ten minutes, and Harry jumped in. He told the driver the instructions he'd been given by Louis via text, and buckled his seat belt. He got comfy as the cab drove away from the lodge. He felt a vibration in his pocket, and pulled out his phone. His chest filled with hope for a second, but that was washed away as soon as he read the name "Niall". But he immediately felt guilty to do so, as Niall was the reason he was here in the first place.  
  


From: Niall

hw did the phone call go???? u should hav messaged me mate!!!!

Harry chuckled and started typing away, feeling the driver's eyes glance at him through the mirror.

To: Niall

It was sick! We got on so well, there were no awkward pauses! I asked him out for coffee. I'm on my way now. The nerves are killing me .x   
  


From: Niall

you hav nothing 2 worry about. It'll be gd no awkward pauses remember!!! go for it mate  
  


Niall's grammar and spelling mistakes never failed to make Harry laugh, and he found himself doing this as he typed out his last message.

  
To: Niall

Thanks for doing this again Ni :) and thank you. Talk to you later .x 

  
He slipped his phone into his pocket, and looked out the window for the rest of the journey.

                                                                          **

The tea room was a petite, small building, hidden away beneath an apartment on a quiet street. 

After Harry thanked and payed the cab driver, he walked down the path, his footsteps heavy. On one side of him stood a bird bath, with a few blue tits diving in and out. They seemed to be chattering away as they made little noises that made Harry smile. On the other side, a flower and vegetable patch stood, looking healthy and beautiful.

As he approached the door (that looked too small for him to fit through, as it was hidden behind leaves), he noticed the menu, reading food and drinks that made Harry's mouth water. He hadn't noticed until now how hungry he was. He made his way through the door, and as it happens, it wasn't too small. (Sure, he had to crouch down a little and bend his neck, but no damage caused.)

A little ding went off as Harry closed the door, causing all eyes to look up at him. All eyes, meaning a couple. And none of those eyes, to Harry's disappointment, were bright blue.There was hardly anyone in the room, and it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Harry gave the people a smile, and they happily returned it before continuing with what the had been doing before. 

He went to sit down at a table in the corner, which was a further away from the people. He wasn't meaning to be unsociable, he just felt uncomfortable being so close to the others, who weren't saying a word. They would defiantly hear what he and Louis were saying if they sat any closer.

As Harry waited for his date, he took out his phone. He had nothing else to do, apart from look around, and in such a small room - there wasn't much to look at. He opened the Flappy Bird app, and began to play, trying to beat his score and cursing when he didn't. 

Suddenly, after five frustrating minutes or so, the same little ding went off as there had been when Harry entered the room. His heart leaped and his eyes looked up. He heard the sound of the Flappy Bird dying coming from his phone, but he couldn't care less. As there stood Louis, blue eyes looking into his, luscious smile beaming right at him.

He made his way over, greeting the waitress and a the customers as he passed. He really was a regular, Harry realized. As soon as he made it over to Harry, his smile widened, causing crinkles to appear by his eyes, which were trailing down to the phone still held in Harry's hand. 

His eyebrows raised, an amusing look passing across his features. "16? Really Harry?  _That's_ your score?"

Harry's cheeks flushed. Honestly; not even five minutes into the date and he was already blushing like a tomato. "Y-yeah... I'm not very good at it..."

"You say?" Louis chuckled. He looked at the seat opposite the curly haired boy. "Can I sit down? Or are you waiting for someone?" 

Harry couldn't help but admire how charming the other boy was. "I was waiting for someone. He's here now." 

Louis looked behind him, just as an old man walked in. His hand was wrapped around a walking stick, and his face was plastered in wrinkles. He looked over at the two boys, brows furrowing. Harry held in a laugh as Louis turned around. "I see," he began. You could tell he was stifling a laugh. "So you like older men."

Harry smirked. "You could say that."

Louis looked at Harry through long, pretty eyelashes. "Guess I'm in luck then."

Harry gasped. "You can't be older than me."

The other boy shrugged. "How old are you?"

"Twenty two."

Louis grinned. "Twenty four."

The Cheshire lad laughed. "Guess you are the one I was waiting for then. Sit down." 

Louis did as he was told, and as he sat down, Harry noticed just how good he looked. His hair was tucked into a beanie, leaving a few bits of his fringe sticking out. He was wearing a bright red shirt, causing his dazzling azure eyes to stand out more. On his legs he wore tight black jeans, and his feet were clad in black vans. He defiantly didn't look twenty four. 

"You were right about this place," Harry said, after a minute (or two, or three... he really didn't know) of admiring the god-like creature sat in front of him. "It's lovely."

"It's precious, isn't it." Louis sighed, scanning the menu, even though he looked like he already knew it off by heart. "I'm surprised it's not as popular as it should be."

Harry nodded. "But that's what makes it so nice. It's quiet. It gets you away from everything else."

"'Suppose," said Louis. "I like the way you think, Curly."

Harry blushed. "Thank you," he muttered.

"You blush a lot." Louis chuckled, leaning over the table to pinch Harry's cheek.

The other boy's blush deepened, as he tucked his chin into the collar of his shirt to hide his embarrassment. Louis laughed. "Don't worry. It's cute."

He looked down at his menu and spoke before Harry could reply. "So. What do you fancy, Curly?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments would be well appreciated :) x


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delayed update.   
> Hope you enjoy it, and thank you for the kuedos and comments, keep them coming!

  
The meal continued as it had began, successful. All Harry had to do was laugh when the other boy joked around (which was a lot of the time) and speak when he was spoken to. He figured that Louis was one of those guys who liked to speak a lot, which he really didn't mind. It meant he didn't make a fool of himself as much as he could've done. He was starting to think this date was really going somewhere - if he could even call it that. 

"You know, Harry," said Louis after finishing the last bite of his meal. "I never really understood the saying; 'time flies when you're having fun'. But it's starting to make sense to me now, you know?"

Harry blushed, for what could have been the a hundredth time that evening. His cheeks may as well be painted crimson. "Yeah." He checked his watch, feeling his eyes widen. "Yeah," he repeated. "I'm pretty sure it was only half two the last time I checked. How the hell did an hour pass since then?"

"Just like I said, time flies when you're having fun. I wish everyday passed as quickly as this one has."

He left his words hanging in the air. There was a second of silence, before Harry realized that this was Louis' way of asking him to speak. He cleared his throat. "Do you not like your job? Or find it fun?"

A sad smile itched it's way onto Louis' lips. "I dunno. I mean of course it's great.... but, I just don't know anymore. I got the job six years ago. Lord, I was only eighteen. It was a fantastic opportunity then. And I still love the animals and the people there and all... but I just feel like there's more out there for me, you know? More gates to open, more of the world to see - more animals to see. I'm only twenty four, and I already feel like I'm ready for the next stage in my life. Is that bad?"

"No, no! Of course not! I completely know what you mean."

Louis tilted his head to the side, like a confused puppy. "Yeah? What do you do for a living, Styles?"

"I bake." The words poured out before he had a chance to stop them, and it was when Louis snorted that Harry realized how completely flamboyant it had sounded. His cheeks weren't crimson this time, they were flaming. "Okay, that did not sound as gay in my head."

Louis continued to chuckle, looking as if he wanted to say something; although he chose not to. "So you bake. Is that a hobby or a job?"

"Both, I guess. I used to do it as a hobby, not so much time now that I have April and the bakery and all."

Louis nodded slowly. "And do you enjoy it, at the bakery?"

Harry shrugged. Did he enjoy it? "There's worst jobs, but it's stressful. And there's a lot expected from you, especially if you're known as Cheshire's best baker. That's actually why I came here. My best friend figured I was in need of a holiday, so he offered to take my job at the bakery while April and I took two weeks off. Though I think he did it to spend more time with my boss, not for me."

Louis laughed at the other boy's last comment. "Is your boss hot?" 

"Completely fuck-able," said Harry. 

"Then I don't blame your best friend," Louis grinned. "Where is this bakery?"

"Holmes Chapel."

The boy looked confused for a second, as if he had heard the name before but he had forgotten where it was. Harry decided to help him. "It's in Cheshire."

Louis clicked his fingers, a look of realization washing across his features. "Yes. Of course." He leaned on his elbow across the table, his realization look being replaced by a flirty one. "You should take me to that bakery sometime. I want to taste some of Cheshire's best baker."

The fact that Louis had said he wanted to taste some of Cheshire's best  _baker_ and not  _baking_ (which was defiantly done on purpose) sent a flood of arousal down to the pit of Harry's stomach. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "Well," his voice came out hoarse, as if he had just woken up. He cleared his throat. "One day, I'll take you."

Louis smiled, Harry's arousal not going unnoticed to him. His eyes had a hint of something Harry would call "success" in them. "Awesome. I can't wait." He dug his hand in his pocket, and drew out a £20 note.

Before Harry could stop him from paying for the two of them, Louis was pushing the younger boy out of the cafè.

                                                  **

Nick drew the pen out from behind his ear. He had it there at all times, only removing it at night, when things got heated. A chubby fingers jabbed the blank space on the paper layed carefully in front of him. 

"Write here, you know what to do."

"Of course I do, Percy. I've been doing this for three years."

Nick tapped the tip of the pen against the paper, and wrote the word: 

_Heads._

Percy nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Excellent. Maria will be so proud."

Nick's lips twitched. "Then it works both ways. She gets her money, I get my dick wet." 

Percy laughed, his laugh loud and rumbling, coming deep from his chest. He slapped his hand down on the smaller man's shoulder, his hand like a boulder on Nick's bird-like body.  "Lucky lad. Don't you ever take it for granted."

Nick sat in a chair, a smirk on his face. "I'll never take her for granted. Ever."

                                  **

 As Harry sat in the taxi, he could hardly believe his luck. It was the day after the date, and Harry had been out getting some supplies for April. He had asked Louis to meet him there, to which he agreed to without hesitation. And now they were on the way to the lodge. He kept stealing glances at the older boy, noting the way his hand was small and delicate (just like the rest of him), and the way his lips would twitch every time he realised the other boy was looking at him. 

Harry hadn't realised that they were almost back, until Louis said, "Ah, Hillside Lodge."

Harry gave Louis a curious look. "You know this place?"

"Are you kidding? My sister, Lottie,  _always_ stays here when she's up visiting! Said you can't get much better around here."

"She wasn't lying," Harry says, paying the taxi driver. Since Louis had payed for their dinner, the least he could do was pay for the taxi ride. 

"Have you met Susan yet?"

The two were now walking up the rocky pavement, hands dangerously close. Harry could have been looking at the view around him, but he chose to look at Louis instead. He couldn't lie. He found the boy quite attractive to the eye, though it wasn't like he hadn't seen boys like him before. He wasn't original, but there was something about him that made him different, though Harry couldn't lay his finger on what it was.

He eyebrows raised high. "Who?"

"Blonde, lipstick smeared lips, flirts with anything with a dick?" 

It defiantly rang a bell for the younger boy. "You mean-" before he could finish his sentence, the door was opened before them, and a flash of blonde was all Harry could see before he was pushed inside, Louis treading in behind him. The door was slammed shut, and the hand that had grabbed Harry let him go, leaving him to catch his breath. 

Louis lingered behind him, smirk in place. He brought his lips up to Harry's ear, and whispered, "you defiantly know her, maybe a little too well." 

Harry tried his best to ignore him, though it was quite hard with the shiver that ran consciously down his back. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and looked at the woman stood before him. It was her - Susan. The woman who had been there on his first day to take him and April up to their suite, and who had also tried to speak to him before he left for his date with Louis. Now that Harry knew her name, her name tag seemed to stand out more than ever. He'd only looked at it the first day, but didn't feel the need to remember. 

As usual, her red lips stretched from one side of her face to the other, resembling a clown's smile. It didn't reach her eyes, they looked too dull. "I see you bought company," she said to Harry. 

He nodded his head, and without a single thought, drew Louis closer to him with a hand on the waist. "This is Louis. My  _date_." 

Louis didn't look at Harry weird or give off a confused vibe. Instead, he just smiled widely and played along. That's when the younger boy realised how much of a good actor he was. "It's nice to meet you," he pretended to look at her name tag for a moment. "Susan."

Susan narrowed her eyes, the smile falling for - what Harry felt like was - the first time. "But he's a..." she shook her head, like she couldn't believe what was happening. "He's a..." 

Harry smiled, mocking the big smile she had on just a minute ago. "Always a pleasure, Susan."

And the two walked off up the stairs and to Harry's room, only looking back once to see Susan's smile was back - which was most defiantly false this time. It wasn't until they reached the room, that the laughter erupted from both their lips. 

"That was class!" Louis howled, falling backwards onto Harry's bed. He spread his hand across his chest, trying to catch his breath. "I'm so telling Lottie all about this!"

Harry ran his finger under his eye, catching the few fallen tears of laughter. "Oh lord," he managed to choke out. "I wish I filmed her reaction!" 

Louis grinned. "Don't we all?" He sat up on the bed, his eyes teasing and his signature smirk on his lips. "So... it was a date?" 

Harry shrugged, his cheeks heating up a bit. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, if you wanted it to be-" 

Louis cut him off. "Yes." He got on his hands and knees, and crawled slowly - almost seductively - over to the end of the bed. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. By the time Louis was an inch away from the younger boy's face, he could feel his stomach churning with nerves. 

"Tell me, Harry," Louis whispered. He leaned in closer, so that there was only a little breathing space between them. "Do you let first kisses happen on first dates?" 

"Depends if I want to see them again or not." Harry's eyes flutter closed as Louis's lips hover over the side of his lip. 

"And do you want to see me again?" Louis placed his lip onto the other boy's skin. 

Harry groaned in anticipation. "God, yes, of course: just kiss me already." 

So Louis did just that. He grabbed the back of Harry's neck, and smacked their lips together. Both boys shut their eyes, and cling onto the other's shirt as the kiss deepens; what started as a peck, turning into a full on, breath-taking kiss. Louis then bites Harry's lip, causing both boys to moan into the other boy's mouth. Louis grinds up against the younger boy and Harry thinks the room is getting warmer, and warmer, to the point of his body feeling like it was on fire. 

Suddenly, Louis pulls away. His pupils are blown, and his mouth is red, swollen. The top of his collar is unbuttoned, and his hair is more tousled than it was before. If anyone had seen him right now, they would have thought the two had just had sex. 

Harry stared at the other boy, his eyes wide and his breath coming out in quick puffs. He had no idea a first kiss could be that intimate, but he found himself wanting more and more. The bulge in his pants were making that obvious. And surely Louis felt the same, so why had he pulled away? Maye Harry was wrong, and he was the only one who found the kiss as hot as it was. Maybe Louis had had second thoughts. Yet he was the one who had started this? It made no sense at all. 

 "I- I'm sorry." Louis couldn't look Harry in the eye. "I shouldn't have done that. It was too forward. I  _shouldn't_ have done that," he repeated. "You should have stopped me, it was a mistake." 

Harry couldn't deny the pang of hurt from the older boy's choice of words. Louis picked up his coat and threw it on, still not making eye contact. Harry had no idea what to say, or what to do. Was Louis really going to leave, just like that? No explanation? Nothing?

"It was just a kiss, Lou." It was more than that to him, but he wasn't about to say that. Especially after the other boy managing to hurt him so much. 

"No, no you don't understand." He opened the door, and looked at Harry for the first time since the kiss. He couldn't help but notice a look of guilt, mixed in with Louis's lovely blue eyes. 

"I'll call you-" Harry began, but before he could finish his sentence, Louis was out the door. 

Harry sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest. He felt like April had a week or two ago. When she found another barbie doll yet she couldn't have it.

Just like Harry had finally found another guy who was everything he'd always wanted, yet he couldn't have him. 


	6. Chapter 7

_All he managed to say before he started choking on his words were; "Hello welcome to,-" and then he felt like he was coughing his lungs out. Because there, in front of him, stood the last boy he'd ever expect to see in Cheshire._

_Louis Tomlinson.  
_

Harry must have been stood there for quite a while before Paula started elbowing his side. He let out a breath and blinked. Nope, he wasn't dreaming. Louis was really stood in front of him in a white shirt, jeans (that were -as usual- rolled up so his dainty little ankles were showing) and black vans. His hands were crossed over his chest and he was biting his lip. He looked about as nervous as Harry felt. 

Harry cleared his throat. "H-Hi, welcome to the bakery." Louis nodded, looking unsure as to what to say. He ignored eye contact. The tension still stuck. 

Harry frowned, and tried again. "Hello, welcome to Cheshire's Little Bakery." 

Silence. 

Harry lightly shook his head, now feeling slightly frustrated. "Louis, what are you doing here?"

Louis finally looked up, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "I-I'm sorry Harry, I didn't mean to come. I was just passing by and I thought-" 

"It's okay," Harry softly interupted. It wasn't, he was just not in the mood to start an argument. Louis's mouth opened then closed, his eyebrows meeting in middle.

"No, no it's not okay. I know I shouldn't have turned up here with no explanation. I just - I dunno. I didn't think you'd be working today or something, or at least I hoped-"

"Louis?"

He looked up, a light shade of pink on his cheeks. He reminded Harry of a bunny, and at that exact moment his heart fluttered. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about the boy since he'd come back from Yorkshire, and now here he was stood in front of him, looking just as cute and attractive as he remembered him. "Yes?"

"Let's go talk," Harry said. "I can ask for a twenty minute break, if you like."

Louis bit his lip. "Are you sure? Like, your boss would be okay with that?"

Harry smiled. He was always known as one to forgive too easily, and he knew that's what he was doing with Louis. But with the boy looking so cute and vulnerable, it was hard not to just forgive and forget. "I'm sure Ed won't mind."

"I'll go get a seat," Louis said. Harry turned on his heel. "Wait, Harry." He turned back around to see the Yorkshire lad slightly blushing again. "Could I maybe have one of those muffins you're famous for?"

Harry chuckled. "Of course you can." He turned to Paula. "Paula, could you fix Louis one of my Apple and Cinnamon Muffins?" 

As Paula nodded and got one ready, Harry noticed Louis start to take out some money. He was quick at stopping him, "No, no. You don't have to pay. It's on the house."

Louis's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

The curly boy nodded. "It's the least I can do." 

                                 **

 It wasn't until Harry was back in the kitchen to find Ed, that he realized his hands were shaking. Louis was here - he was really here. After two months, honestly, Harry thought the boy would've forgotten him; moved on. A smile passed across his lips, because he hadn't. He'd remembered.

The curly lad caught sight of a mess of ginger hair. "Hey, Ed."

His boss turned around, the lines across his forehead even more prominent than ever. Harry wondered if he should call Niall to come over sooner, so he could calm down the stressed man. 

"Yes?" he frowned.

Harry bit his lip with guilt. Now really wasn't the time to ask for a break, but Louis wasn't going to be here forever. "Do you remember Louis?"

"The fling that you had over in Yorkshire?" 

Harry blushed. "He wasn't a fling... but yeah."

Ed nodded, but he seemed distant. His eyes kept travelling elsewhere. "What about him?" 

"He's here."

Something clicked, and Ed's face turned right at his worker. "Here? As in in the bakery?"

"Yes, here." 

"Whoa. So what exactly are you asking?"

"I know you're stressed and all.." suddenly, Harry found his fingers interesting. "But could I have a quick - let's say, fifteen to twenty minutes break? Just to talk to him, you know. It doesn't really matter if I can't, I understand-" 

Ed cut the rambling boy off. "Harry, it's okay. I know how much you like this boy. We'll be fine for another twenty or so minutes. You're so hardworking anyway, you deserve it." 

Harry lept at the boy, wrapping his arms around his boss's neck. He began jumping up and down, letting out little squeals as he did so. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he pressed a sloppy kiss to the man's cheek, and ran off before Ed had a chance to react. 

The Cheshire boy is quick to get Louis's muffin that Paula had laid out, and then take his apron off. He places the muffin on a plate, making sure it looks presentable, before setting out of the kitchen with his heart beating faster than it was before. He scans the room, seeing regular customers and couples before his eyes meet those lovely blue ones. Louis smiles, causing Harry's legs to feel weak. He smiles back, and starts making his way over. 

"Managed to catch a break then?" Louis asks as the other boy sits across from him.

Harry nods. "Yeah, Ed says I'm hardworking so I deserve a break."

"Oh, the hot boss?"

Harry blushes. "How come you have such a good memory?"

Louis shrugs. "It didn't come to good use during exams, unfortunately. I only remember specific conversations with specific people."

Harry laughs then smiles. "Oh," he says, almost too fondly. He snaps himself out of it and clears his throat. "I wouldn't say that. You're Yorkshire's best zookeeper."

Louis blushes. "Shut up, Cheshire's favourite baker."

Harry chuckles. "So, what are you  _really_  doing here?"

"I already told you, I was just passing by." 

But that couldn't be all. Harry wants to question the boy further, but his words are drowned out by the low moan that drifts out of Louis's mouth, as he takes his first bite out of the muffin. "Holy shit, Harry." 

The curly lad blushes, dirty thoughts entering his mind. He feels his member twitch in interest, and has to lay his palm awkwardly over his crotch to apply pressure. "G-good?" 

Louis nods, his mouth full of Harry's.. muffin. Yeah, his muffin. "Good is an understatement. Did you bathe it in holy water before you gave it to me?"

Harry chuckles, shaking his head. His cheeks were noticeably flushed. "I think that's the first time someone's ever given me that compliment."

"Well I'm glad I'm your first."  _God._ Louis must be doing this on purpose.

Suddenly, Harry notices some frosting just above Louis's upper lip. His finger itched to wipe it off. Louis notices as he finished the muffin and smirks. "Could you wipe that off?"

Harry freezes. He couldn't have heard that right. "S-sorry?"

"I don't know where it is. Could you wipe it off, please?"

Harry nibbles his lip, and picks up a napkin. Gently, he leans across the table and swipes the napkin across Louis's face. He couldn't help but notice the stubble that scratched at his hand a bit as he pulls away, causing heat to rise up the boy's neck. "There," he whispers.

Louis smiles, looking smug. "Thank you." His expression changes. "Harry, I'm really sorry about my behaviour back in Yorkshire. You didn't deserve that, at all. It was stupid of me. I made mistakes."

Harry feels a painful tug at his heart. "You mean the date? Do you think it was a mistake?"

Louis's eyes widen. "No! God, no. It wasn't the date that was the mistake, at all. It's not your fault at all Harry, I hope you realize that. It was something I did, that I really shouldn't have done. Not your fault," he repeats. 

"Then what was it, Lou? What mistake did you make? I spent two months trying to figure out what I'd done wrong. You left me as a wreck, Louis."

Louis's eyes fill with guilt, and for a second Harry feels bad. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh-"

"No. I deserved it, it's okay. I left you like that and it's my fault. I want to tell you what happened, I really do."

"Then why can't you?"

Louis nibbles his finger. "I can't tell you."

Harry groans, rubbing his large hands over his face. "You are so confusing, damn." 

Louis sighs. "I don't blame you if you want to leave right now, you know."

Harry takes his hands away from his face, slowly. He speaks softly. "Louis, I'm not going to leave, and I'm not going to force you to tell me. I just hope you know that we can't go on dates anymore after this. Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah, I understand." 

But Harry could still see the hurt in Louis's eyes, something he hates to see. 

"I really am truly sorry though, Harry. And if you ever need me, you know where to find me." 

Harry smiles, almost painfully. "Thank you. Same to you." 

The Yorkshire lad plays with his fingers. "I really was starting to really like you, Haz."

 _Haz_. "Me too Lou, you, I mean.. I really liked - _like-_ you..." 

Louis laughs at the rambling boy and leans in to kiss his cheek, but just as he was about to do so, the door bell goes off, and a tall figure walks into the small bakery. Harry turns around, just in time to see the man's face turn, and that's when everything seems to go out of focus.

That tall quiff, that Harry used to run his hands through on a daily basis...

Those rosy lips, that used to fit perfectly in between Harry's own...

Those long arms, that used to pin Harry down onto the bed...

Those blue-grey eyes, looking up innocently at Harry as he lay in between a woman's legs...

The face that Harry hoped he'd never have to see again. 

Nick Grimshaw's.

                     **

Harry really needs to blink. Maybe then, he'll wake up from this nightmare. His jaw is slack and his eyes are wide. It's not until Nick says his name, that Harry realizes he's not dreaming. 

"Harry?"

Harry blinks. Louis looks between the two men, confusion written all over his face. "You two know each other?"

Nick goes to sit down beside Louis, smiling softly. Harry really wants to tell him to fuck off, but one look at Nick's arm around Louis stops him. His jaw slackens even more and he can hear his heart beat in his ears. It's now his turn to be even more confused.

"Nick, what are you doing? I told you to wait in the car," Louis mumbled, sending Harry a guilty look.

Harry blinks. Again.

"You were taking longer than you said you'd be and I was worried, love." 

 _Love_. Harry shook his head, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, he didn't  _want to_.

"Hold up, love?"

The two men turned to Harry. Louis smiled and lent into Nick. Suddenly the curly haired lad felt sick. "Nick, this is Harry. My friend who visited the zoo a couple of months ago."

Nick stared hard and cold at the boy in front of him, as if it was his fault for being in his own bakery. Harry looked down at his knees, not knowing what to say.

"And Harry, this is Nick. My boyfriend."

Harry's head jerked up so fast he could've suffered whiplash. "Sorry, what?"

"Nick is my boyfriend, Harry."

And that's when Harry got it. 

_"I- I'm sorry." Louis couldn't look Harry in the eye. "I shouldn't have done that. It was too forward. I shouldn't have done that," he repeated. "You should have stopped me, it was a mistake."_

The kiss. Louis had stopped it because he already had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who used to belong to Harry, who adopted a child with him, for fuck's sake.  _  
_

Harry looked up at Nick, tears threatening to spill out his eyes. "Do you want to tell him, or should I?" He couldn't even look at Louis, he felt disgusted and cheated on, once again. The two were made for each other.

Nick didn't reply. Harry's gaze slid to Louis. His shaking hands were curled into fists, and his teeth were gritted together so hard it was painful. His anger was over the top. "Me and Nick used to date. He's the one I adopted April with."

Louis's eyes widened and he looked at his partner. "Nick? Is this true?"

Nick hang his head, his eyes like a cat's as he glared at Harry. "Say anymore and you're dead to me."

"Oh, but I already am, aren't I Nick? Both April and I, who cried for days when you left, by the way. She thought you filthy. I never disagreed."

Harry thought that he saw guilt flash across Nick's face, but that couldn't be right. Nick wasn't one to feel guilt. Louis's eyes were like two flashlights. He shook himself off Nick's arm. "How, what?"

"He cheated on me, with a girl."

There was silence between the three of us. The faint chatter of customers could be heard in -what felt like- the distance. The door bell cut through the silence, and we all looked up to see a blonde, cheery boy with a grin the size of China on his face. "Helloo," he flashed Louis and I a smile. Then he noticed our grim faces and his smile faded. "Who's died?"

Then his eyes slide past Louis and to Nick. His eyes grew cold and his hand tightened it's grip on the back of my chair. "Harry, what the fuck is he doing here."

"He's with Louis," Harry mumbled. He made sure to look at the named boy, who pretended to not notice.

"As friends... right."

Harry shook his head. "As boyfriends."

"Holy fu- what?!" He stood up, towering over the 'boyfriends'. He grabbed Nick's collar first, and before Harry could stop him, threw the man backwards. Nick let out a groan as Louis and Harry both tried to hold Niall back.

"You fucking prick!" the Irish boy growled. He pushed him forewords again, earning another groan from the man. Niall leaned down and whispered in Nick's ear, "I hope you choke on vaginal juice."

Harry bit his lip to laughter to burst out of him. But then Niall was at Louis, and as much as the boy had hurt the curly haired lad, Harry didn't want his best friend to hurt him. Or anyone, in fact. Though he really did deserve it right now.

"You, you messed with my best friends feelings," Niall hissed. He grabbed his collar, earning a whimper from Louis. Harry felt pain in his chest. "He'd been hurt before by your bastard boyfriend. He didn't need to be hurt by you, too." Niall pushed the tiny boy down. Harry noticed Louis's eyes wide with fright before Ed was there, pulling Niall away from the boyfriends, and whispering for him to calm down. 

Harry was sure that Louis mouthed an "I'm so sorry," but he was being dragged back into the kitchen before he had time to respond.

   

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story sucks. I'm so sorry. 
> 
> And this is such a delayed update, I just realized! Sorry, sorry, sorry. I started my new school year and I was busy as heck, I had writers block (which is the worst thing ever and I'm still suffering with it) anD I SAW THE BOYS ON TUESDAY AT THE WWA TOUR AND IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE.
> 
> Vote/comments?
> 
> I doubt anyone is still reading this, but I'll give it a shot. Should I even continue this?


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